Johnson looks to build upon fine rookie season with fewer drops

By Joseph Duarte |
August 6, 2004

By NFL standards, Andre Johnson's rookie season with the Texans can be filed under the category of lived-up-to expectations.

But at least one person isn't convinced.

"Last year, I felt like there were some passes that I should have caught that I didn't," Johnson said in a voice barely above a whisper. "There were times I was just sitting by myself thinking about my first season. I felt my play wasn't very consistent."

A team-record 66 receptions. Twenty-four yards shy of 1,000 for the season. Four touchdowns.

To some, Johnson is a Pro Bowler in the making, capable of being the big-play receiver every team covets but few have. To himself, he is a perfectionist, a da Vinci in shoulder pads, painting his first masterpiece and then tearing it up.

"The drops are what you remember," Johnson said.

Rather than dwell on the catches that weren't and the Texans' 5-11 season that was in 2003, Johnson left for home in South Florida this offseason intent on making himself better.

At least three days a week, Johnson would stand point-blank in front of a machine that fires footballs like Roger Clemens fastballs. One hundred times per session, sometimes more, although he said he never bothered to count.

His hands would begin to ache, but he learned to deal with it — something he'll need to catch David Carr's passes.

If Johnson had his way, he would never drop another pass again. But he knows that is not how the game works — even though he's blessed with an imposing combination of size (6-3, 219 pounds) and speed. The pressure builds when you're the No. 3 overall pick in the draft and a building block for a relatively new franchise.

"When I was (in college) at Miami, my coach used to tell me that I just needed to concentrate more," Johnson said. "I could catch the ball. It was just a lack of concentration. I would have games where I drop an easy catch and then come back and make a crazy catch."

Johnson made a season-defining catch in Week 11 upset over the Buffalo Bills. With the Texans trailing 5-0, Johnson hooked up with backup quarterback Tony Banks on a slant route across the middle and broke loose from three defenders for a 46-yard touchdown just before halftime.

"That showed when I get the ball in my hands I can do some things," Johnson said.

Four weeks later, Johnson experienced his worst game as a professional. With Carr and Banks out injured, third-string quarterback Dave Ragone looked for Johnson on two deep routes in the second quarter. The first pass hit him perfectly in stride wide open over the middle, but the pass bounced off Johnson's hands. The second was a deep ball down the sideline in tight coverage that would have been highlight material if it hadn't kicked off Johnson's hands.

"Sometimes you do have bad games. You just have to try and eliminate the bad things," Johnson said.

Entering his second training camp, Johnson has caught everything in sight like he has Super Glue on his hands. During one recent workout, he caught a pair of touchdowns on fade routes.

"I feel a lot more comfortable catching the ball," he said.

That's welcome news for a Texans offense that plans to spread the offense more this season with Johnson as its featured target. The Texans threw 119 passes to Johnson last season, double the total for their next two receivers, Corey Bradford and Jabar Gaffney.

"Through the spring, I thought Andre took a real step," coach Dom Capers said. "I've always thought players made the most progress from year one to year two because they've been through it, they know what to expect and there's a comfort level with the system."

Johnson easily would have reached 1,000 yards last season if not for a lull that included only one 100-yard game the final six weeks.

"My goal is to go to the Pro Bowl," Johnson said. "I'm sure that's any receiver's goal. I wanted to go last year, but I didn't get the chance. I just have to go out and have that consistent play and help this team win as many games as it can."

With the way Johnson has looked during the early stages of camp, Carr is eager to unleash one of the Texans biggest weapons.

"Dre always had confidence. Now he knows what he is doing," Carr said. "His first year he knew what he was doing, but now he's taking it to another level where he's starting to react to coverage. He already had the athletic ability. Now all he does is hone in on route running and being precise."